I arrived in Nairobi four days ago and have been working on a few things for school (law school apparently never takes a break), as well as settling in and spending time with my host family. I was lucky enough to find a place to stay with my uncle’s friends in Gigiri, which is a far distance from Hakijamii, but is a beautiful place to live.
It feels a bit strange to be living in a place this nice, especially when I’ll be advocating for people who hardly have access to water, let alone that amount space to spread out. My search for housing in Nairobi definitely put into perspective the unavailability of affordable housing…if it was that difficult for me, it’s hard to imagine the search for Kenyans. I just feel lucky this family was willing to take me in.
Today marks the day Kenya achieved self-rule in 1963 – a sort of pre-independence independence day (official independence day is in December). Most Kenyans have the day off, and I joined them, officially starting work tomorrow. I’m looking forward to meeting the staff and getting the work plan finalized.
Posted By Kristen Maryn
Posted Jun 1st, 2011